This is a chronicle of important events that took place under the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661) was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A Deliberative Council of Prince ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1636–1912). It spans from the death of his predecessor

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

(r. 1626–1643) in September 1643, to the emperor's own death on 5 February 1661, seven days into the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign period. These dates do not correspond perfectly with the Shunzhi era itself, which started on 8 February 1644—on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

of the lunisolar year following the emperor's accession—and ended on 17 February 1662 (the last day of the 18th year of Shunzhi), more than one

solar year A tropical year or solar year (or tropical period) is the time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the sky of a celestial body of the Solar System such as the Earth, completing a full cycle of seasons; for example, the time fro ...

after the emperor's death. The posthumous events related to the Shunzhi Emperor's burial and posthumous cult are also included.

Dorgon regency

1643

*September 21:

dies after a successful seventeen-year reign during which the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

became a major power in northeast Asia. His death threatens to split the Manchus just as they are preparing to attack the Ming. *September 26: a

Deliberative Council The Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers (), also known as the Council of Princes and High Officials and Assembly of Princes and High Officials, or simply as the Deliberative Council (; ), was an advisory body for the emperors of the earl ...

of princes and high officials is convened and decides that five-year-old Fulin,

's ninth son, will succeed his father, but that Hong Taiji's half-brother

Dorgon Dorgon (, ; 17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650), was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, predecessor of the Qing dynasty) ...

and

Jirgalang Jirgalang or Jirhalang (Manchu: 19 November 1599 – June 11, 1655) was a Manchu noble, regent, and political and military leader of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the Aisin Gioro clan, he was the sixth son of Šurhaci, a younger brother of ...

will be his co-regents. This deal is a compromise between those who wanted to keep the throne in Hung Taiji's descent (the main candidate was Hong Taiji's eldest son Hooge) and those who supported Dorgon. *October 8: at the age of six ''suì'', Fulin officially becomes

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

of the Qing dynasty.

1644

*February 8: in

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...

founds the

Shun dynasty The Shun dynasty (), officially the Great Shun (), was a short-lived Chinese dynasty that existed during the Ming–Qing transition. The dynasty was founded in Xi'an on 8 February 1644, the first day of the lunar year, by Li Zicheng, the leader ...

with the official dynastic name "Great Shun" and proclaims himself King. *February 17:

willingly yields control of all official matters to his co-regent

. *March 5: Dorgon sends an amicable letter to Li Zicheng proposing that they "devise a plan in common to unite their forces" against the Ming. *March 17: the Shun army occupies

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...

in Shanxi. *April 5: Seeing the progress of rebel armies in north China, the Chongzhen Emperor issues a call for the immediate help of any military commandant in the empire. *April 24: Li Zicheng enters Beijing, the capital of the

Ming empire The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

. *April 25: the

Chongzhen Emperor The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德� ...

commits suicide on a hill behind the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...

. *April 26:

Wu Sangui Wu Sangui (; 8 June 1612 – 2 October 1678), courtesy name Changbai () or Changbo (), was a notorious Ming Dynasty military officer who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty in China. In Chinese ...

, a powerful Ming general, moves his army through

Shanhai Pass Shanhai Pass or Shanhaiguan () is one of the major passes in the Great Wall of China, being the easternmost stronghold along the Ming Great Wall, and commands the narrowest choke point in the Liaoxi Corridor. It is located in Shanhaiguan Di ...

(at the eastern end of the

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against Eurasian noma ...

) and marches toward Beijing in response to the emperor's distress call. When he hears that the capital has fallen, Wu returns to fortify Shanhai Pass. Wu's departure from the fortified city of Ningyuan, where Ming armies had defeated Qing founder

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing (), was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he reigned ...

in 1626, leaves all territory outside the Great Wall under Qing control. *April 29: the victorious Li Zicheng holds an audience with several thousand Ming officials outside the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City. Assisted by his main

Grand Secretary The Grand Secretariat (; Manchu: ''dorgi yamun'') was nominally a coordinating agency but ''de facto'' the highest institution in the imperial government of the Chinese Ming dynasty. It first took shape after the Hongwu Emperor abolished the off ...

Niu Jinxing (牛金星), Li selected 92 officials to serve in the Shun government. The remaining literati are given over to Shun generals for punishment. *May 5: Wu Sangui routs an army led by Tang Tong, which Li Zicheng had despatched to attack Shanhai Pass.. *May 10: Tang Tong's defeated army returns toward Shanhai Pass with reinforcements, but is again defeated by Wu Sangui. Wu takes the city of Yongping (永平) on the road to Beijing. *May 13: words reach the Qing capital of Shengjing that Li Zicheng has been brutalizing former Ming officials and the population of Beijing. Grand Secretary Fan Wencheng uses these news to argue for a Qing intervention in China. Dorgon agrees to mount a military expedition to punish the rebels and occupy the Central Plains of China.. *May 14: Dorgon leads the Qing "Grand Army" out of Shengjing and starts marching south toward the Great Wall. *May 18: After the defeat of two of his armies a few days earlier, Li Zicheng decides to take Shanhai Pass himself: he leaves Beijing with an army of 60,000 troops. *May 20: two of Wu Sangui's lieutenants arrive at Dorgon's camp at the

Liao River The Liao River () is the principal river in southern Northeast China, and one of the seven main river systems in China. Its name derived from the Liao region, a historical name for southern Manchuria, from which the Liaoning province, Liaodong P ...

carrying a message from their master asking the Manchus to help Wu defeat Li Zicheng's bandits and restore the Ming dynasty in return for "great profits" (大利). Dorgon sends a letter back to Wu Sangui offering. Later that day the Manchus hear for the first time that the Chongzhen emperor was dead. Still on that day, but as a result of earlier plans, small groups of Qing troops start to cross the Great Wall to distribute written proclamations announcing that the Qing army will not harm the population and will only kill Li Zicheng's bandits. *May 25: By that date, Li Zicheng's army was already camping in the outskirts of Shanhai Pass, near the Sha River a few kilometers west of the Shanhai Pass garrison; Wu Sangui sends his troops to confront him there. Dorgon receives a letter confirming that Wu Sangui has accepted to work for the Qing: he takes his army on a forced march toward Shanhai Pass.. *May 26: having covered more than 150 kilometers in 24 hours, Dorgon's troops settle eight kilometers away from the Pass to rest for a few hours. They are awoken at midnight to continue marching. *May 27:

Battle of Shanhai Pass The Battle of Shanhai Pass, fought on May 27, 1644 at Shanhai Pass at the eastern end of the Great Wall of China, Great Wall, was a decisive battle leading to the beginning of the Qing dynasty rule in China proper. There, the Qing prince-regen ...

. At dawn Dorgon's main army reaches the gates of Shanhaiguan, where Dorgon receives Wu Sangui's formal surrender. The armies deploy for battle: placed in the vanguard, Wu's troops are ordered to charge the Shun army, but they are unable to break the rebels' line and suffer heavy casualties. By the late afternoon, they are on the verge of defeat when a sandstorm starts blowing on the battlefield.. Dorgon chooses this moment to intervene: galloping around Wu's right flank, Qing bannermen destroys Li's left wing. The Shun army is defeated and retreats chaotically toward Yongping; thousands are massacred. *May 28: Li Zicheng retreats from Yongping toward Beijing. Wu Sangui is named Prince Pingxi; his remaining troops shave their heads and join the Qing forces. *May 31: Li Zicheng reenters Beijing with his troops, which started to loot the capital.. *June 3: as a "final gesture of defiance" after his decisive defeat at Shanhai Pass, Li Zicheng officially declares himself

of the Great Shun at the Wuying dian 武英殿. *June 4: after 42 days in Beijing, Li Zicheng sets the imperial palaces on fire and abandons the capital to flee toward the west. The Beijing population massacres rebels who had not fled; nearly two thousand are killed. *June 5: led by Dorgon, Qing troops are welcomed into the capital; the Beijing population is shocked because it was expecting Wu Sangui to bring back the Ming heir apparent. *June 7: Dorgon issues special proclamations to officials around the capital, assuring them that if the local population accepts to cut their hair and to surrender, the officials will be allowed to stay at their post. (See June 25.) *June 25: because peasant rebellions quickly erupted around the capital in reaction to the haircutting order of June 7, Dorgon issues an edict saying that people will be allowed to arrange their hair the way they want. *July 14: Dorgon declares Beijing (which he calls "Yanjing" 燕京) the new capital of the Qing.

Mukden Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the prov ...

(present-day Shenyang), which had been the Qing capital since 1634, is retained as a secondary capital. *July 29: at the request of his superior, German

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionary

Johann Adam Schall von Bell Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1 May 1591 – 15 August 1666) was a German Jesuit, astronomer and instrument-maker. He spent most of his life as a missionary in China (where he is remembered as "Tang Ruowang") and became an adviser to the Shunz ...

petitions the Qing throne, claiming that the Jesuit calendar is more accurate than the other ones available. *October 19: the six-year-old Emperor arrives in Beijing through the Zhengyang Gate, where he is welcomed by Dorgon. *October 31: the Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell is made Director of the Bureau of Astronomy (欽天監) after a test of the Jesuits' prediction for an eclipse on September 1 proved to be more accurate than those of the court's official astronomer. *November 8: a formal ritual of imperial enthronement is held for Fulin, during which the merits of Dorgon as regent are compared to those of the

Duke of Zhou Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou (), commonly known as the Duke of Zhou (), was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for acting ...

. Dorgon's title is raised from "Prince Regent" to "Uncle Prince Regent" ( ), in which ''shufu'' (''ecike'' in Manchu) represents a rank higher than that of imperial prince. *November 11: Hooge is reinstated to the status of

Prince Su Prince Su of the First Rank ( Manchu: ; ''hošoi fafungga cin wang''; ), or simply Prince Su (), was the title of a princely peerage of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China (1636–1912). It was also one of the 12 "iron-cap" princely peerages i ...

; Dorgon's brother Ajige is named Prince Ying; Jirgalang is demoted from "Prince Regent" to "Assistant Uncle Prince Regent" ( )..

1645

*January 20: the court orders that land without owners be reclaimed and given to Bannermen (圈地). In fact even land that has owners and occupants is confiscated. (Say more.) *June 16: it is declared that all official documents will heretofore refer to Dorgon as "Imperial Uncle Prince Regent" (''Huang shufu shezheng wang'' 皇叔父攝政王). Court ceremonies are also reformed to elevate Dorgon's ritual position even higher. *June 17: the Prince of Fu, who had been reigning as the "Hongguang Emperor" since June of the previous year, is captured near Nanjing by Qing forces led by

Liu Liangzuo / ( or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic t ...

. *July 8: all people who submit to the Qing dynasty are ordered to shave their forehead and tie their hair into a queue. This "haircutting command" provokes widespread resistance among the Chinese population. *July 29:

Zhu Yujian Zhu Yujian (; 1602 – 6 October 1646), nickname Changshou (長壽), originally the Prince of Tang, later reigned as the Longwu Emperor () of the Southern Ming from 18 August 1645, when he was enthroned in Fuzhou, to 6 October 1646, when he w ...

, the Prince of Tang, is named Regent (or "Protector of the State" 監國).. *August 18:

, the Prince of Tang, is proclaimed

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

less than a month after arriving in Fuzhou. He will reign under the title of Longwu 隆武. *August 24: fall of

Jiading Jiading is a suburban district of Shanghai. It had a population of 1,471,100 in 2010. History Historically, Jiading was a separate municipality/town, until, in 1958, becoming under the administration of Shanghai. In 1993, Jiading's designate ...

to the forces of

Li Chengdong Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political te ...

, a former Ming general who was now serving the Qing; he orders a massacre of the entire population. *September 22: Li Chengdong takes Songjiang. *October 9: the city of

Jiangyin Jiangyin (, Jiangyin dialect: ) is a county-level city on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, and is administered by Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Jiangyin is one of the most important transport hubs on the Yangtze River, it is also one of the most d ...

falls to Qing armies led by

after a siege of 83 days. The entire population (about 100,000 victims) is massacred over the next two days.

1646

*September 29 and 30: hearing that Qing troops were approaching, the court of the

Longwu Emperor Zhu Yujian (; 1602 – 6 October 1646), nickname Changshou (長壽), originally the Prince of Tang, later reigned as the Longwu Emperor () of the Southern Ming from 18 August 1645, when he was enthroned in Fuzhou, to 6 October 1646, when he wa ...

leaves Yanping in western Fujian and tries to flee toward Ganzhou in Jiangxi.. *October 6: a Qing contingent catches up with the fleeing Longwu Emperor and executes him summarily. *October 17 or 27: the Qing army captures Fuzhou unopposed. *November 19: the Qing forbids officials to memorialize about five controversial issues: haircutting (剃髮), costume (衣冠), the seizure of lands (圈地), (投充), and runaway slaves (逃人).. *November 20:

Zhu Youlang The Yongli Emperor (; 1623–1662; reigned 18 November 1646 – 1 June 1662), personal name Zhu Youlang, was a royal member to the imperial family of Ming dynasty, and the fourth and last commonly recognised emperor of the Southern Ming, reign ...

, the Ming Prince of Gui, is named protector of the state (監國) in

Zhaoqing Zhaoqing (), alternately romanized as Shiuhing, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,113,594, with 1,553,109 living in the built-up (or metro) area made of Duanzhou, Dinghu a ...

(Guangdong); it is decided that he will reign under the title Yongli 永曆. *December 21:

Zheng Zhilong Zheng Zhilong, Marquis of Tong'an and Nan'an (; April 16, 1604 – November 24, 1661), baptismal name Nicholas Iquan Gaspard, was a Chinese admiral, merchant, military general, pirate, and politician of the late Ming dynasty who later defec ...

, who had defended the

Longwu Longwu () (18 August 1645 – 4 February 1647) was the era name of the Longwu Emperor of the Southern Ming. Comparison table Other eras contemporaneous with Longwu * China ** ''Shunzhi'' (順治, 1644–1661): Qing dynasty — era name of the ...

court, surrenders to the Qing in Fuzhou. He is taken north as a prisoner.

1647

*February 1: Bandit leader

Zhang Xianzhong Zhang Xianzhong (张献忠 or Chang Hsien-chung; 18 September 1606 – 2 January 1647), nickname Huanghu (literally 'Yellow Tiger'), was a Chinese peasant leader who led a peasant revolt from Yan'an wei, Shaanxi (today Yulin, Shaanxi province) ...

is killed in battle by Qing troops led by Hooge, the son of Hong Taiji who had failed to succeed his father on the imperial throne in 1643. *August 2: Dorgon's brother Dodo is named Prince Yu.. *September 7: The Qing court forbids Portuguese merchants based in

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

from entering the provinces to trade. *September 28 / October 27 (SZ4.9): the court receives an embassy sent by the Ryukyu king to congratulate the Shunzhi Emperor on his accession.

1648

*February 25: Haoge (Prince Su) returns to the capital after his victorious but costly Sichuan campaign (see Feb. 1, 1647). *March 29: Dorgon demotes

from Prince Zheng to Prince of the second rank (郡王).. He was given back his rank on May 25. *April 5: Annam sends a tributary embassy to the

Southern Ming The Southern Ming (), also known as the Later Ming (), officially the Great Ming (), was an imperial dynasty of China and a series of rump states of the Ming dynasty that came into existence following the Jiashen Incident of 1644. Shun forces ...

. *March 24 / April 22 (SZ5.3): Milayin and Ding Guodong rise against the Qing in Gansu.

1649

*April 29: prince Dodo (Dorgon's brother from the same mother) dies of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

in Beijing.. Dorgon's other

uterine brother A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...

Ajige is placed in charge of managing the affairs of the capital. *May 27:

Empress Dowager Xiaoduanwen Jerjer (; translated as "lady"/"beauty"; 31 May 1599 – 28 May 1649), of the Khorchin Mongols, Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan, was the consort of Hong Taiji. She was seven years his junior. Jerjer was Empress consort of Qing from 1636 until her ...

's former empress, dies. As a result, the Shunzhi emperor's mother

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang Bumbutai ( mn, Бумбутай; mnc, m= ; zh, 布木布泰; 28 March 1613 – 27 January 1688), of the Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan, was the consort of Hong Taiji. She was 21 years his junior. She was honoured as Empress Dowager Zhaosheng ...

becomes the most powerful woman in the palace. *October 4: Qing banner troops take back Datong (Shanxi) from the hands of rebellious commander Jiang Xiang. *December 30:

Geng Zhongming Geng Zhongming (; 1604–1649) was a Chinese military general who lived through the transition from the Ming (1368–1644) to the Qing (1644–1912) dynasty, during which he served both sides. His grandson Geng Jingzhong was one of the Three Fe ...

(耿仲明; 1604–1649) commits suicide in Jiangxi after being accused of protecting subordinates who had helped three hundred runaway slaves to hide from their masters.. His armies, now led by his son

Geng Jimao Geng Jimao or Keng Chi-mao (; died 1671) was a Chinese prince and military leader, inheriting the title of "Jingnan Prince" (Jingnan wang ��南王meaning "Prince who pacifies the South") from his father Geng Zhongming, along with his lands, and ...

(耿繼茂), nonetheless continue to fight the

1650

*November 24: After a long siege, Qing armies led by

Shang Kexi Shang Kexi (尚可喜; Shang Ko-hsi; August 25, 1604 – November 12, 1676) was a Chinese general of the Ming and Qing dynasties. His family had migrated to Liaodong in 1576 and his father, Shang Xueli, served in the army guarding the northe ...

capture Canton and massacre its population.. Firmly entrenched in the south, Shang later became one of the Three Feudatories. *November 26:

Kong Youde Kong Youde ( zh, c=, p=Kǒng Yǒudé; mnc, , v=; Transliteration of Manchu: kung ioo de; died August 7, 1652) was a Chinese adventurer and Ming dynasty military officer who served under the warlord Mao Wenlong until Mao's death in 1629. Subsequen ...

孔有德 (1602–1652) captures

Guilin Guilin ( Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the nort ...

(

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

) for the Qing. *December 31: Dorgon dies at the age of 38 during a hunting expedition. His death created an immediate backlash against his political allies at court.

Transition and personal rule

1651

*January 26: Dorgon's brother

Ajige Ajige (Manchu:, Mölendroff: ajige; 28 August 1605 – 28 November 1651) was a Manchu prince and military general of the early Qing dynasty. He was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the 12th son of Nurhaci, the khan of the Later Jin dynasty (the ...

is imprisoned for allegedly plotting a coup after the death of Dorgon. He was forced to commit suicide later that year. *April 7: the Shunzhi Emperor issues an edict declaring his intention to root out corruption among officials. The anticorruption campaign that followed first targeted officials who had been close to Dorgon, but it soon led to a revival of factional politics among literati officials, a problem that plagued the young emperor until his death in 1661. *September: the emperor marries a niece of his mother the Empress Dowager. *October 31: the monumental "Gate of Receiving Heaven" (Chengtian men 承天門) facing south from the imperial city is renamed "Gate of Heavenly Peace" (

Tiananmen The Tiananmen (also Tian'anmen (天安门), Tienanmen, T’ien-an Men; ), or the Gate of Heaven-Sent Pacification, is a monumental gate in the city center of Beijing, China, the front gate of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beij ...

天安門). *December 13: Consort Ba 巴 gives birth to Niuniu 牛鈕, the Shunzhi emperor's first son.

1652

*March 9: death of the emperor's first son Niuniu less than three months after his birth. *Spring: in an edict to the Inner Three Courts, the Shunzhi Emperor orders that all memorials concerning state matters should now be sent to him rather than to Jirgalang's office.. This marks the time when the monarch takes full charge of the government. *August 7: Southern Ming loyalist

Li Dingguo Li Dingguo () (1621–1662) was a Chinese military general of the Southern Ming dynasty who fought against the Qing dynasty. As Zhang Xianzhong's general Li was an adopted son of the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong, and appointed a general in Zhan ...

, an ancient lieutenant of bandit king

, retakes the key southwestern city of

from the Qing; the Qing commander-in-chief Kong Youde commits suicide. Within a month, most of the

military commanders who had served the Qing reverted to the Ming side.

1653

*January 14: the

Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (; ; 1617–1682) was the 5th Dalai Lama and the first Dalai Lama to wield effective temporal and spiritual power over all Tibet. He is often referred to simply as the Great Fifth, being a key religious and temporal leader ...

arrives in Beijing to meet with the Shunzhi Emperor. He leaves about two months later. *April 25: the emperor recalls Feng Quan 馮銓 to serve in the government again. That very evening he was summoned to meet with the emperor,

Hong Chengchou Hong Chengchou (; 1593–1665), courtesy name Yanyan and art name Hengjiu, was a Chinese official who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties. He was born in present-day Liangshan Village, Yingdu Town, Fujian Province, China. After obtaining t ...

, and

Chen Mingxia Chen Mingxia (c. 1601–1654) was Grand Secretariat and President of Ministry Personnel of the Qing dynasty. He was from Liyang in Jiangsu and was a Chinese official during the Shunzhi period (1644–1661) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Bef ...

陳名夏 to discuss the qualifications of

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...

compilers, who had been mostly appointed by Chen Mingxia, a southerner. Even though Shunzhi was trying to counteract the influence of southern Chinese officials who advocated a return to Ming government practices, by recalling a pro-Manchu collaborator like Feng Quan, he actually intensified the tensions between northern and southern Chinese literati. *July 23: to counteract the power of the

Imperial Household Department The Imperial Household Department (; mnc, , v=dorgi baita be uheri kadalara yamun) was an institution of the Qing dynasty of China. Its primary purpose was to manage the internal affairs of the Qing imperial family and the activities of the inn ...

, Shunzhi establishes the Thirteen Offices (内十三衙门), which are controlled by eunuchs. These bureaus allowed eunuch power to grow; they were eliminated by Oboi and the other regents at the beginning of the Kangxi reign. *September 8: Consort Ningyi 寧懿 of the

Donggo Donggo (，pinyin:Dong'e) was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Manchu Plain White Banner, one of the 3 upper banners of Eight Banner system. Several lineages were members of Manchu Plain Red Banner. Donggo Hala was a branch of Irgen Gio ...

clan gives birth to Fuquan, the emperor's second son. He died in 1703. *December 15: The court forbids actors (優人) from not shaving their hair on the pretext that they have to play female roles.

1654

*March 8:

is appointed to govern 鎮

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, whereas

is ordered to garrison

and to take care of the Green Standard Armies that had been established by

. *April 27: on recommendation by the

Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers The Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers (), also known as the Council of Princes and High Officials and Assembly of Princes and High Officials, or simply as the Deliberative Council (; ), was an advisory body for the emperors of the ear ...

led by

(陳名夏), who had been an influential

, is executed by strangling after a ten-day trial for corruption that started when he proposed to restore the hairstyle and court costume of the Ming dynasty. *May 4: Empress Xiaohui gives birth to the emperor third son Xuanye 玄燁 (

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

: Hiowan Yei), who later became the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

1655

*March 14: Jirgalang asks the Emperor to establish an Imperial Diarist 起居注官 to keep a diary of the emperor's movements.

1656

*August 6: The Qing forbids sea trade in the southeastern provinces. Private merchant ships are forbidden from trading and other ships from accosting.. The purpose of this policy was to eliminate those among sea merchants who supported the Southern Ming power of

Zheng Chenggong Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

1657

*November 5: Imperial Noble Consort Donggo, the emperor's favorite consort, gives birth to the emperor's fourth son, who died before he was given a name (see February 25, 1658). *November 30: the Shuntian examination cheating scandal erupts. *December 8: the emperor's fifth son, Changning, is born to Consort Chen 陳. He became Prince Gong (恭親王) in 1671 and died in 1703.

1658

*February 25: death of the emperor's fourth son a little more than 100 days after his birth. He was posthumously granted the title of Prince Rong (榮親王). *August 13: the emperor changes the old Manchu Inner Three Courts into a "Palace Secretariat" (''diange'' 殿閣) and reinstitutes the old

, both based on old Ming institutions. Though these institutions were abrogated during the Oboi regency (1661–1669), the

reinstated them in 1670 (the former as the "Grand Secretariat," or ''neige'' 內閣) and they lasted until the end of the Qing in 1911.

1659

*January 25: Qing forces led by prince Dodo's second son Doni enter the capital of Yunnan, sending the

Yongli Emperor The Yongli Emperor (; 1623–1662; reigned 18 November 1646 – 1 June 1662), personal name Zhu Youlang, was a royal member to the imperial family of Ming dynasty, and the fourth and last commonly recognised emperor of the Southern Ming, reigni ...

into flight to Burma under the protection of

. *March 7: the core of the Southern Ming army is defeated at Dali, forcing the

, the last monarch of the southern Ming, to flee toward

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

1660

*January 3: birth of the emperor's sixth son Qishou 奇授 (Manchu: Kišeo) to Consort Tang 唐. He died at an unspecified date at the age of seven ''suì''.''Qingshi gao'', ch. 214, p. 8910. *March 6: to counter factional politics, the Shunzhi emperor issues an edict banning clubs or societies whose purpose was to influence government affairs or public opinion. *May 30: Consort Niu gives birth to the emperor's seventh son, Longxi 隆禧 (Manchu: Lunghi). He died in 1679. *September 23: death of the emperor's favorite concubine, "Imperial Consort of the Second Rank" Donggo. Jesuit missionary Adam Schall, who had been close to the emperor in 1656 and 1657 and who attended the concubine's expensive funerals, later claimed that "Through her death she made he emperorfall into a madness more repulsive than the one of Salomon, because he openly displayed himself as a disciple of the Bonzes, shaving his head, and living and dressing himself like them."

1661

*January 23: birth of the emperor's eighth son, Yonggan, to Consort Muktu 穆克圖. He died at an unspecified date at the age of eight ''suì''. *February 5: the Shunzhi emperor dies of

After death

1661

*March 2: in a lavish procession, the emperor's body is transported to Jingshan—north of the Forbidden City—where it stayed for about two years until the emperor was finally buried. On March 3 a large number of precious goods are burned as offerings, after which the new emperor takes off his mourning dress. *April 22: the dead emperor is given a

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

(Shizu 世祖)—by which he would be worshipped at the

Imperial Ancestral Temple The Imperial Ancestral Temple, or Taimiao () of Beijing, is a historic site in the Imperial City, just outside the Forbidden City, where during both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, sacrificial ceremonies were held on the most important festival o ...

—and an honorific

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

(體天隆運定統建極英睿欽文顯武大德弘功至仁純孝章皇帝 ''Titian longyun dingtong jianji yingrui qinwen xianwu dade honggong zhiren chunxiao zhang huangdi'').

1662

*January 13: the ancestral tablets of the Shunzhi emperor are placed at the

, where he will be worshipped under the

Shizu.

1663

*July 5 / August 2 (KX2.6): the emperor's body is buried at the Xiaoling.''Qingshi gao'' Draft_History_of_Qing"">Draft_History_of_Qing.html"_;"title="Draft_History_of_Qing">Draft_History_of_Qing"_chapter_6,_p._169.

_References

_Bibliography

*. *. * *. *. *. *. *. *''Qingshi_gao''_清史稿_["Draft_History_of_Qing.html" ;"title="Draft_History_of_Qing".html" ;"title="Draft_History_of_Qing.html" ;"title="Draft History of Qing">Draft History of Qing"">Draft_History_of_Qing.html" ;"title="Draft History of Qing">Draft History of Qing" chapter 6, p. 169.

References

Bibliography

*. *. * *. *. *. *. *. *''Qingshi gao'' 清史稿 ["Draft History of Qing">Draft History of the Qing"]. Edited by Zhao Erxun 趙爾巽 et al. Completed in 1927. Citing from 1976 to 1977 edition by Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, in 48 volumes with continuous pagination. *. *. *. *. *. * 2 volumes.

Dorgon regency

1643

1644

1645

1646

1647

1648

1649

1650

Transition and personal rule

1651

1652

1653

1654

1655

1656

1657

1658

1659

1660

1661

After death

1661

1662

1663

_References

_Bibliography

References

Bibliography

Further reading